Abstract

Softening is a common phenomenon of texture changes associated with plant cell walls, inducing a decrease in the quality of fruit. Inhibiting the softening is effective to extend the shelf life of fruit. Cold plasma (CP), as a novel nonthermal technology, has been applied to keep the freshness of the fruit. This review centers on applying cold plasma treatments to the inhibition of fruit softening. Different pathways for inhibiting fruit softening by CP treatments, including maintenance of fruit firmness, reduction in the activities of enzymes, inactivation of fungal pathogens and lowering of respiration rates, are discussed. The biochemistry of fruit softening and the fundamental of cold plasma are also presented. In general, among all postharvest technologies, cold plasma is a promising method with many advantages, showing great potential in maintaining the quality and inhibiting the softening of the fruit. Future work should focus on process optimization to achieve better results in maintaining fruit freshness, and commercial applications of cold plasma technology should also be explored.

摘要

软化是与植物细胞壁相关的质地变化的常见现象，导致果实质量下降。抑制软化可有效延长水果的保质期。冷等离子体（CP）作为一种新型的非热技术，已被应用于保持水果的新鲜度。这篇综述集中于应用冷等离子体处理来抑制水果软化。讨论了通过 CP 处理抑制果实软化的不同途径，包括保持果实硬度、降低酶活性、灭活真菌病原体和降低呼吸速率。还介绍了水果软化的生物化学和冷等离子体的基本原理。总的来说，在所有采后技术中，冷等离子体是一种很有前途的方法，具有许多优点，在保持果实品质和抑制果实软化方面显示出巨大潜力。未来的工作应侧重于工艺优化，以在保持水果新鲜度方面取得更好的效果，还应探索冷等离子体技术的商业应用。